As we can all tell just about now, we’re about to get into the thick of season. Tourists, snowbirds and other visitors will come for a few months … then vanish once the summer hits. A sizable portion of the job market works the same way.

FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute developed the seasonality index to quantify the swings in employment that happen in the region (Collier, Lee, Hendry, Charlotte and Glades counties) over the year. Analyzing 33 years of data, RERI found employment peaks in March, then hits bottom in July and August. Southwest Florida was among the top three regions in the state that experienced the most seasonal fluctuations. The main industry that saw the most seasonal fluctuation: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.